Brief from Iraq

The past few days have been crazy so I guess I was out of gas. Midnight chow is in about 30min so will go have breakfast. The dining facility is pretty incredible... to order omelets and just about anything you want. There is a short order, main order, and healthy choice line, so you can pick your dietary poison. And there is a variety of Kellogg's cereal, so I usually have one with every meal. There is a desert bar, ice cream bar, and usually some bonus bar--like a taco or seafood-- just so the airmen don't suffer too much.

My troop command post is right on the flight-line, so you can hear the F-16 after-burners tearing away as the take off quite frequently. Our MRAP vehicles are incredibly resistant to IEDs and have a number of countermeasures on them that keep us safe. My counterpart was kind enough to let me drive on two missions and received great reports even with mine-roller on the front. It was truly a lot of fun to drive. We went to Taji and Seitz with no incidents. I hope this finds everyone well. I won't be writing too much for the next week or so as I polish off another paper and conduct the relief in place with my counterpart. Once complete, though, I should be in pretty clear air and will send pics and correspondence more often.